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State Union Density Effects on Workers' Support for Reducing Income Inequality, 1973-2016
1University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Social Currents
|July 18, 2022
Summary
Labor unions influence workers' attitudes toward income inequality. Increased union density moderately boosts support for reducing inequality, suggesting unions shape redistributive policy views.
Area of Science:
- Socioeconomics
- Labor Economics
- Political Science
Background:
- Common beliefs suggest labor unions impact inequality attitudes among workers.
- Empirical evidence for this influence remains limited and often unsubstantiated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To empirically test the hypothesis that labor unions influence workers' attitudes toward income inequality.
- To quantify the impact of union density on support for income inequality reduction.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the General Social Survey (GSS) for inequality attitudes.
- Employed state-level union density data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) and County Business Patterns (CBP).
- Applied linear probability, fixed-effects, and marginal structural models for analysis between 1973 and 2016.
Main Results:
- A significant increase in state union density was associated with a moderate increase in workers' support for reducing income inequality.
- The estimated increase in support ranged from 3 to 12 percentage points.
- Findings indicate a measurable effect of union density on individual-level attitudes.
Conclusions:
- Unions demonstrate a capacity to influence workers' attitudes regarding income inequality.
- The study provides empirical support for unions' role in shaping redistributive policy preferences.
- Labor union presence may affect broader market attitudes concerning economic fairness.
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